


RQ-2019: A Moonbow

by The_Lich_Queen



Series: Requests [13]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dreamtale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Inktale (Undertale), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24284515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lich_Queen/pseuds/The_Lich_Queen
Relationships: Nightmare/Ink
Series: Requests [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752688
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

The creature of darkness growls out as he stares at the SOULless being that had somehow become Protector of the multiverse- At first, it was just pure hatred solely for the fact that he was friends with his brother, Dream. 

Nightmare steps forward, watching as Ink tries to touch _his_ friend, the ERROR. 

Ink had come to him at first, offering friendship, which over the past couple of years he become something a lot more. And it was clear with anyone with half an eye to see that Error was not interested in friendship nor anything else. 

It was getting worse and the Destroyer came crashing, the problem was with crashing could lead to memory loss, or damaged data as Error always called it. 

Error kept telling him not to worry since he back up his data in 'geno', whatever that was. 

However, with Ink keep coming and coming, he could see the stress was breaking him down and the ERROR was spending more and more time alone in the Anti-Void. 

Nightmare did not want his friend to forget him, the ERROR was the first true friend he had ever made. 

Nightmare watches as the SOULless creature steps nearer to Error. Everyone knew what was coming next. 

Ink suddenly leapt forward, arms up ready for a hug. 

Nightmare quickly melts into the shadows and reappears in front of Error, one tentacle lashed out and grabs the Guardian in mid-air. 

Ink tilts his skull in confusion for a moment and gazes with an emotionless expression for a moment, then smiles brightly at the dark creature. 

"*Hi Nightmare! Come to give me a ticket to the skeleton ball!" Ink questions with a huge grin. 

Nightmare frowns at him, staring at him like he was a worthless worm, "*apologies. but skeletons do not have balls." he told the Artist darkly, ready to snap his spine. 

Ink stare at him for a moment and then started laughing uncontrollably. 

Nightmare turns his friend, who visible shrugs at his unspoken question. 

Nightmare looks back to the Protector and glares- then Ink was encased in tentacles and there was a loud cracking down; the SOULless creature becomes nothing more than a puddle of black ink which oozes out of the tightly bound darkness and pour to the ground. 

"*little pest." Nightmare growls out darkly as he flickers his tentacles.

"*'mare. i know i've told ya before. but i'm telling ya again." Came the ERROR glitching voice from behind, he steps around to face his friend, "leave ink to me. ya might regret it. ya really don't need to step in." 

"*do not be stupid. friend." Nightmare told him firmly, "i am growing weary of his games with you. this needs to stop."

"*...don't say i didn't warn ya. friend." Error says as he opens a glitchy portal, "want to come? i've a few universes destroy."

"*yes. of course." Nightmare agrees as he follows the ERROR through.


	2. Chapter 2

Which time Ink showed up to mess with Error, Nightmare stepped in and ever killed him outright or stood and gave him a firm lecture. 

That was what Nightmare was currently doing. He had Ink bound in two of his tentacle, one wrapped around his centre, the other around his legs. Ink's arms were free and he had one elbow leaning on the tentacle with the other, he was drumming his fingers on it, looking completely bored as Nightmare points yet another tentacle in his face. 

"*give me one good reason why i should rip you in half?!" Nightmare snaps at the Artist, "are you listening. protector?"

"*Are you done yet?" Ink questions in a dull tone, not turning his face to the creature, but staring at him out the corner of his orbit, "Because Error is almost done and now I can't play with him."

"*you can play with me for a bit!" Nightmare snarls at him, tightening his hold to gain his attention, "pay attention to me! not error! me!"

Ink turns then, his hand slowly lowering and a small smile forming on his jaws which spread into a huge grin.

"*yeah! let's play!" Ink cries out in joy, his eyelights changed to yellow stars as he stares at Nightmare like he had been given a new toy.

"*yes. let us play." Nightmare growls out and only a shadowy portal behind Ink, "make it out alive and you win."

With that Nightmare drops Ink into the portal and closes it up. 


	3. Chapter 3

"*Nightmare~" Ink greets the creature of darkness by coming out of a wall and jumping on one of his tentacles, "Hiya!"

"*ugh." Nightmare utters out and then turns to look at his brother, who was looking at Ink and then back at him, "brother. deal with your friend. please. before i kill him. again."

"*Aww! Night! I thought we had something special!" Ink told in mock sadness, tears pouring down his cheeks on cue. 

Nightmare sighs heavy, "*i am not error. who will crumble at a crying monster. you have to change your tactics if you want to mess with me."

This only made Ink laugh. 

"*boys! we shall retreat for now!" Nightmare calls to his Gloom and Doom Boys, who all vanish at his command, looking to Ink, "get off."

Ink slips down like he was on a slide and grins as he came to stand by to Nightmare. 

Nightmare turns and walks into the shadows, leaving the two friends only. 

"*told ya so. look at ya. leaving ink behind without even harming him." Came a glitching voice as he entered his throne room. 

"*silence you." Nightmare snaps at his friend, who was lazing across his throne munching on popcorn and holding a milkshake.

The ERROR merely grins, standing up he bows mockingly and making a glitchy portal, exited through that, leaving Nightmare alone with his thoughts. 

Nightmare did not know why he did not kill Ink for touching him and he hated to admit it, but the pest was growing on him. 


	4. Chapter 4

Nightmare sat in his office writing out forms and signing documents that needed to be done fast. 

A sound made him look up and he sees Ink standing there...

"*how did you get here?!" Nightmare snarls at him darkly, his tentacle rose up from behind him, ready for an attack. 

"*got bored. came to visit." Ink told him dully, coming over to the desk he half sits on it, "Can't believe how much like Dream you are."

"*what?" Nightmare hisses out to the SOULless creature, "how dare you compare me to my brother!"

"*But you are!" Ink said with a pout, pointing to all the paperwork surrounding him, "Dream is like this with his stupid Council thing he set up. Spends all day writing stuff if he is not fighting you!"

Nightmare gazes down at the papers in front of him, he had been at his desk for about nineteen hours. 

The dark creature leaps up when Ink suddenly picks up a white vase and threw it to the floor, he caught it with one of his tentacles. Nightmare turns to glare at Ink, only to see if he was up another vase, this time black, staring at him with lifeless sockets. 

Then he drops it. 

And again, Nightmare manages to catch it. 

"*stop this!" Nightmare snaps at him, standing up straight and glaring darkly at the Artist, "you complain about error destroying thing. and yet you destroy my stuff!"

"*Yeah. But that's the thing. I have not destroyed a single thing." Ink told him as he lifts up yet another vase and threw it towards the wall, "right?"

Nightmare melts into the shadows, coming up just where Ink threw the vase, readying his tentacle to catch it and-

Nightmare caught...

With his face. 

It fell to the ground and when it did it became white paint. 

Ink starts to point and laugh wildly at the creature of darkness. 

It was then the other 'vases' in Nightmare's hold melted into paint and he realizes that Ink had never really thrown his vases, just painted copies. 

"*i shall end you." Nightmare hisses out rushes at the Artist who pauses his laughter fit to watch the enraged creature coming at him.

"*Oops! Bye!" Ink cries out joyfully as he dives into some paint he threw down. 

Nightmare halts over the paint watching it vanish from his office wall. 

"*i really will make your life a misery." Nightmare hisses out darkly at the place where Ink had gone. 


	5. Chapter 5

Nightmare was taking one of his rare breaks from his work, staring gazing up into the night's skies... even as far moved as a Sans as he was, he still loved the stars above. 

A presence appeared next to him and he turns to see Ink, of course, sitting next to him, staring at the stars in the heavens above as well. 

"*Hiya Nightmare!" Ink greets him happily never taking his sockets away from the view, "You alright?"

"*was. until you showed up." Nightmare growls at him as he turns back to stargaze. 

"*Ouch! You wound me Night!" Ink says as he holds where his non-existing SOUL was and fell backwards, then just laid there. 

"*...if only." Nightmare says with a sigh, then he also fell onto his back and lays looking up at the sky while watching Ink out of the corner of his eye, "so then. have you grown tired of me yet?" 

"*No. Not really. You're fun to hang with..." Ink told him with a smile, "and you don't let me go too far! Like you stop me from doing something stupid! Haha! I haven't died as much since hanging out with you."

"*so. my brother cannot control your wild side." Nightmare says with a snort.

"*Yeah. And you'll be lonely without me." Ink told him in a teasing manner with a bold grin, "But you know. That one of the reasons we are the same. Right?"

"*hardly. do you think that it is you who is just lonely?" Nightmare told him with a snarl, "you go around begging for attention. some from monsters that don't want it."

"*Is this about Error again?" Ink says in a dull tone, looking bored suddenly. 

"*no. this is about your attention seeking behaviour." Nightmare snaps angrily, "you same we are the same? you merely look for those who have hints of similarly to you. that is why you would not leave error alone."

"*...we were both born in the anti-void..." Ink utters out in a low voice, his expression changing slightly. 

"*yes. that is right. so you chase after him." Nightmare replies with a scowl, turning his skull to look right at Ink, "and with me. you see a lonely monster and someone who wants attention from i want everyone in this multiverse to know my name!"

With those words Ink turns his skull to face Nightmare, they were surprisingly close now. 

"*but let me tell you this." Nightmare continues on, his breath now mixing with Ink's, "i do not need you. i do not need anyone. understand."

"*...you want the whole multiverse to know your name?" Ink mumbles as if this was the first time he had heard this.

"*are you listening to me?" Nightmare snap at him, "focus on me! and hear my words!"

Ink smiles brightly at him.

"*Ink? Nightmare?" A familiar voice says softly, both sat up quickly and found Dream standing there with a deep frown. 

"*Dream! Guess what?!" Ink cries out happily to his friend. 

"*...what..?" Dream says in a tired voice knowing that his friend was going to say something crazy. 

"*I'm going to date Night!" Ink announces making both Apple Brother' jaw dropped- then Ink reaches over and wraps his arms around Nightmare's neck. 

"*what!?" Nightmare cries out, jumping to his feet with Ink still attach.

A strange noise sounded through the area, like a kettle that had been left on the hob too long. Nightmare and Ink glance around in confusion, until they found the source. 

Dream. 

The golden skeleton was grinning boldly, joy sang in his eyelights and he was rattling in sheer happiness. 

"*You are after my brother now?" Dream questions him in excitement. 

Nightmare narrows his eye, for some reason he did not think it was because it was happy for Nightmare or Ink that he was getting over-excited. 

"*Yep! We're going on a date!" Ink told him grinning boldly, then throwing some paint down on the ground drags Nightmare over with surprising strength for someone so small. 

"*wait! what makes you think i will date you?!" Were Nightmare's final words in this strange dark world that held only the stars. 

Dream stares at the spot where his best friend and brother left, silently plotting. 


	6. Chapter 6

Nightmare has no idea what was going on, however, Error had suddenly taken a very active role in his kingdom. And shockingly, the mega-glitch knew what he was doing. 

The ERROR was now an Aide to him in every way, which give him a lot of free time... which he did not know what to do with at first. 

Communication with his brother had improved... greatly, he seemed to have stepped back and allowed Nightmare to just be himself, no longer coming to any fights and silently stood there until Nightmare spoke first.

Ink appeared during random times, somehow knowing just where to find him each time. 

The 'dates' were a bit to prefect as if the Ink stain knew just what he liked and what he needed that day. Unwinding Nightmare from the stress that his overbearing work gave him sometimes. 

In turn, Nightmare made sure Ink did not do anything too crazy, set limits and firmly said no whenever things got out of hand- the creature of darkness found he did not mind so much, he was used to caring for others... first his brother, then his Boys and now Ink.

Ink who was now going around telling everyone that they were mates. 

...and he did not hate it. 

It was actually kind of nice that someone wanted to be with him in this way. 


	7. Chapter 7

Nightmare growls darkly; his darkness was now a bright pink colour thanks to Ink's little prank and he did not know how to change it back. 

Now the creature of 'darkness' was finding out in the Anti-Void while he tries to work out what to do since he did not want his followers to laugh at him. 

Though, Nightmare knew that once Error returns and sees him like this, he was going be to laughed out of existence. 

A glitchy portal opens and the ERROR walks in dragging something behind him. 

"*ya as bad as nightmare i swear." Error says with a glitchy growl, "take a break. if ya collapse. ya ain't helping anyone."

"*I keep telling you I am fine." Came a familiar voice and Nightmare frowns as he recognizes the golden skeleton that was being lightly dagged.

"*don't mind. ya been working non-stop for three days." Error snaps at him and pick Dream and thrown him into the beanbag, "sit down and shut up. rest. ya golden moron."

Dream was smiling brightly at the whole thing, clearly enjoying the whole exchange. 

"*what the hell is going on?" Nightmare asks rather calmly and the pair turn to him, both orbits going wide. 

...

Error points and laughs at the image that Nightmare made, his glitching laughter kept breaking and lagging. 

Dream, however, had a strange staring contest with his brother.

"*dream." Nightmare breaths out without any emotion, "are you dating my best friend?"

"*Yes brother." Dream answers honestly, "I would say I am sorry. But I am not. I love him."

Nightmare rubs his temple trying to let this all sink in. 

"*dream. leave. i need to speak with error." Nightmare told him firmly, "alone."

Dream drags himself up and looks to his giggling mate with a loving expression, looking over he gives the ERROR a quick kiss which seems to snap him out of his amused state and caused him to growl. 

Laughing now Dream jumps backwards and causes a golden light to appear behind him, then looking to his brother calls to him, "*Pink looks good on you Nightmare! Really brings out your eye!"

"*leave!" Nightmare roars at him as the ERROR falls into another laughing fit at his mate's words, "when were you going to tell me?"

Laughing Error looks at him, then falling onto his beanbag, laughs some more.

"*get a hold of yourself!" Nightmare snaps at him darkly. 

"*ok. ok. i'm good." Error says as he sat up and stared at him with a smile, "so. how are things going with ya new mate?"

"*ink is not my mate!" Nightmare growls at him moving over to him, he curls two tentacles under him and uses them as a seat. 

"*ya do realize that that's how ya act towards him." Error told him softly. 

Something dripped on Nightmare skull, glancing up he sees a bubble of paint and then Ink falls out, landing right into his lap, his free tentacles came out and caught him before he could slide off. 

"*Hiya Night!" Ink says joyfully as he hugs him around the neck, "Was looking for you! You weren't in your castles!" 

"*'castles'?" Nightmare repeats strangely, then frowns, "just how many of my castles did you go to?" 

"*Maybe all of them?" Ink answers him pulling away and tilting his skull, it sounded more like a question, "But here you are!"

Nightmare gets a twitch in his eye and he looks to Error who was watching with keen interest. 

"*so. what did you want?" Nightmare asks the Artist who looks at him clueless for a moment. 

"*Can't it just 'cause I wanted to see you?" Ink asks him softly, "You're the only one who is willing to put up with me."

"*no. error was too. until you forced him away with doing things he did not like." Nightmare told him bitterly, but he was actually a little happy that Ink had sought him out just because he wanted to see him. 

"*Well Error doesn't matter anymore." Ink announces to him with a bold grin, and Nightmare was sure he hears 'thank the stars for that' from his friend. 

"*why don't ya two go on ya date." Error told him with a sweet smile, "ink. didn't ya say something about a bookshop that had weird books in them."

Ink stared at Error for a moment, like he was confused that he was there, then turns to look at Nightmare with a smile. 

"*Yeah! I found this really good bookshop for you!" Ink told him happily, then wiggles out of his hold, grabbing his hand and dragging him along, "Come on! Come on! I know you'll love it!"

Nightmare takes one last look to his friend, wondering how Error knew this- the ERROR gives him a small wave as they left his realm. 

Well, even if Ink gets bored with him in the future, Nightmare was actually enjoying himself now. So he was allowing this. 


	8. Chapter 8

Meanwhile, Error opens a window and watches Nightmare and Ink explore the new bookshop. 

Error had been watching since the beginning and was actually enjoying the pair slowly fall in love. It had become one of his favourite pastimes. 

It was also how he discovered that Dream was interested in him and reached out to him, surprising the golden skeleton- even if Error only did it for a laugh, to begin with. 

"*Hello Error," Came his mate's voice, turning he looks to he Dream coming over with some milkshakes and popcorn, "I thought you would be watching them again. So you got you some snacks."

Error grins, he had willingly taken over some of Nightmare's duties in order for his new OTP to set sail, it seemed that Dream had the same idea and helped him every step of the way. 

"*Aww!" Dream cries out happily as he sits on Error's lap, "Look at them!"

Error turns back to his window and watches as Ink leans over the top of a book Nightmare was reading, grinning boldly. Nightmare had a cute little smile on his face which he thought was hidden due to the book. 

"*Nightmare has no idea does he." Dream says leaning against his mate, "I am looking forward to it. Haha."

Error merely smirks, it quickly fades when he notices that Nightmare and Ink simply vanish from sight...

"*hello dear friend." Came a dark voice, causing Error and Dream to slowly turn. 

There stood Nightmare, pretty in pink, and holding Ink by his side. 

"*and why hello. dearest brother." Nightmare says his voice now dripping with hatred, "and what is this you are both watching?"

"*Oh!? That looks like the bookshop we was just in!" Ink says loudly pointing at the window behind the pair. 

Error was not stupid, he knew that Ink was putting that dumb out for Nightmare's sake. 

Suddenly Error was up and leaping out of the way of a well-aimed attack from his friend. 

"*why did you move friend?" Nightmare questions in that same tone, then glare at Dream, "and who said you could take my best friend away?"

"*ya gonna take ya 'best friend' away if ya kill me!" Error snaps as he holds his mate bridal style then placing Dream to his feet, he pushes his light away.

Then the two best friends start to mock battle. 

Dream seeing this was not a real fight wanders over to his own best friend. 

"*Hello Ink. Having fun?" Dream says his dear friend who was cheering at Nightmare. 

"*Yeah! I'm having a great time!" Ink told him proudly, "Nightmare is a good mate! I like him!" 

"*...if you continue to be his mate. That would have us brothers." Dream says simply as he watches the fight, "and you still want to be Error's friend. Right? With him as mine mate. He would be your brother too."

Ink's eyelights turns to yellow stars.

"*You'll be my brother! Error will be my brother!" Ink cries out joyfully, grinning so wide that Dream almost thought that his jaw would break. Clearly the Artist liked this idea. 

"*Yes. Keep being my brother's mate. And you get a lot more than what you already have." Dream says to him cheerfully, holding his hands behind his back, "You know my brother loves you. Though he will never admit. And Nightmare will care for you. I am sure that being with Nightmare will never leave you bored."

Ink nods his skull and a small smile graces his jaws now as his thoughts went over the past year of chasing after Nightmare. 

"*I've... actually... really had a good time with Night." Ink told him softly, "I think this is the closest thing to true love I have ever had."

"*Good. I am happy for you my friend." Dream replies happily, coming over and giving him and firm hug, "I wish over for your happiness."

"*ya two are getting real close while we've been fighting." Came a glitching voice, making the pair turn and stare at their two angry mates. 

"*very close." Nightmare growls darkly, eyeing up his brother and then his new mate. 

Dream raises a brow and then leans over and plants a kiss on Ink's cheek. 

Nightmare hisses darkly and a tentacle comes flying over, Dream jumps out of the way just in time as his brother wraps the Artist up and brings him by his side. 

Error watches the whole scene in glee, no doubt happy that his ship was sailing. 

Dream merely smiles as he feels his brothers feelings pulsing through him. 

Nightmare had finally found something he loved and Dream was going to everything in his power to keep it that way... he glances at the ERROR, that does not mean he could not find love himself. 


	9. Chapter 9

Nightmare a little stunned. 

Looking back a few years ago, he would have laughed and maybe even killed, if someone had claimed that he would settle down with the Artist.

Ink was currently playing with their shin, Moonbow, that looked like Nightmare but had a rainbow sheen to his darkness under the like, like oil floating on water. 

Nightmare was learning out to pace himself and so was Dream, both Ink and Error had different methods of doing this with their chosen mates. 

Nightmare was ... dare he say, happy. He had a mate, a son and a best friend. ...also his brother. 

It had been Error who told Dream to leave Nightmare alone and let him get on with his life. Explaining to the golden skeleton that Nightmare was like a metal spring, the more pressure he forces down on it, the wilder it will fling when he lets go. Press light or not at all and the spring will not go anywhere. 

Error also went on to tell Dream that Nightmare was not that sad broken skeleton anymore but a mighty kind that needed to be treated as such.

Somehow Nightmare and Dream signed a peace treaty and now were allies. 

Nightmare also found out Error had been watching he and Ink getting closer from his windows and called them his OTP, whatever that was, while also liken them to a ship. 

Dream giggles every time this is mentioned. 

Ink flops down on him and Nightmare lifts him up in his tentacles and throws him up into the air and caught him once he came back down. This went on a few more times until he notices Moonbow staring at him.

Nightmare was sure that if Ink was left alone with the shin, he would be forgotten. He was also sure that if Ink and Dream had ever gotten together, with the way the pair was, they would also forget their offspring. 

Error was surprisingly a natural mother to his own offspring and was willing to care for Moonbow during times of need. And Moonbow loved his Uncle Error and all his cousins. 

Nightmare felt himself being hugged and realizes that Ink was with him, smiling he leans over and kisses his mate softly. The creature of darkness really did not mind that Ink was SOULless, he felt that he loved him the best he could and it was enough for him. 

Their future together was looking bright and colourful... Nightmare's eye twitches at the mess of his office both Ink and Moonbow had painted for him... very colourful...


End file.
